Ben Needham's Mum Vows To Continue Search For Her Son

The mother of Ben Needham - the little boy who disappeared 21 years ago on the Greek island of Kos - has vowed to continue searching for her son, after a police search failed to find his remains.

Kerry Needham, from Sheffield, told the BBC that she has been given fresh hope that Ben will be found alive, following the week-long search.

"In all honesty, I didn't believe that Ben was buried there anyway," said Kerry. "I had been supported and advised by South Yorkshire Police that this line of inquiry needed to be done as part of an elimination process.

"We can now concentrate on opening another campaign, a worldwide search again.

"Living like this every day of my life, keeping up the search, if I thought for one minute that Ben wasn't alive I would give up, wouldn't I? Something drives me on every day to keep looking."

Ben was 21 months old when he disappeared on the Greek island of Kos. He was being looked after by his grandparents while Kerry was at work.

South Yorkshire Police led a British team of officers searching a site close to where Ben disappeared. It was feared he had been accidently buried under a pile of rubble, now covered by grass.

Kerry told the BBC that she believes Ben was abducted to be sold through illegal adoption.

"I have always believed he is out there somewhere. It's difficult because the world is a very big place but with the help of the media and the internet, it's just a case of keep getting that message out now to someone, to him himself," she said.

Commenting on the case, Det Supt Matt Fenwick, of South Yorkshire Police said: "Kerry has always maintained that Ben is alive. I share that sentiment in a lot of ways.

"I would much prefer to reunite Ben with Kerry at some time in the future rather than finding him on Kos in those circumstances."